Gliding Through My Heart
by pandorabox82
Summary: Nick finds himself needing to reconnect with old friends when he feels that he's getting too burnt out by his job.


Nick hadn't realized that when he left Las Vegas that things would seem so different. He had become accustomed to the bright lights, the fast pace, being ready to head out at a moment's notice, but that had all changed when he had decided that his heart just wasn't in the chase any longer. And so, he had taken a sabbatical, following in the footsteps of his former mentor and heading out to find the spark of life once more.

And that had brought him to Virginia, where Catherine had put down roots, hoping that a chat with her would do him some good. His first instinct had been to search out Grissom, but he and Sarah were in the middle of Thailand, researching, and he hadn't wanted to travel around the world around Christmas time. That might be for the end of his sabbatical, if he hadn't found what he was looking for by that point.

He was surprised to find that there was a light dusting of snow on the ground, since he had assumed that Virginia was a bit like Vegas – too warm for lasting snow, yet cold enough to chill one to the bone. It didn't take long to have his GPS guide him to Catherine's new place, and he pulled into the drive of a house that looked both swanky and stately without being too ostentatious. The drapes moved in the front room, which meant that someone in the house had peeked outside, and he grinned as he turned the SUV off and ambled up to the door, knocking firmly.

"Nicky!" The warm sound of Catherine's voice washed over him, even as she quickly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing tightly as she tugged him inside. The house was richly decorated, from what he could see, and as he looked around, he noticed that her coat was out of the closet, thrown on a table near the door, along with a pair of ice skates.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked as he stepped away from her a little, giving her an easy grin.

"Actually, we were going ice skating this evening."

"We?" He hadn't even thought that she might have a partner, but it made sense, since she was a lovely person, one who should be happy, especially with a partner.

"My team at work. They seemed to think that since I'm a Vegas woman, I've never been ice skating. Joke's on them, though, Mom took me skating almost every season. And when Lindsey came along, I tried to get her in on the tradition, too. It didn't take."

"Sometimes it doesn't. Look, I don't want to interrupt your night, I was just passing…"

"Nonsense, you're coming with me!" She quickly put on her coat and grabbed the skates before hooking her free arm through his. "And since you're outside already, you can drive."

"Typical," he retorted as they went back out into the cold. "And what am I supposed to do while you glide around on the ice? I didn't exactly pack for extracurricular activities."

"What did you pack for then?" she asked, giving him a knowing wink, and Nick coughed a little as he drew in a breath of too cold air.

"For a relaxing vacation as I drove around, seeing the country."

Catherine's gaze softened as her hand rubbed up and down his arm. They stopped next to the passenger door, and he tried not to react when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "We all get burnt out at some point," she whispered as her smile turned sad. He nodded before opening the door for her.

Going around to the other side, he stepped up into the SUV and started it up, backing out of the drive. "So, how do I get to this rink?"

"It's actually really easy to find, but I can give you directions."

He nodded gratefully, listening to the even tone of her voice as she guided them to the frozen rink, finding the sound soothing to his nerves. It was so good to be in her presence once more, and he felt like for the first time in months he was complete. The short drive was full of twists and turns, so he didn't know why Catherine labeled it as easy to find, but he supposed that living in the area for a few years now had made things less complicated for her.

"There are more people here than I thought," he said lowly as they pulled into a spot.

"School just let out for winter break. I seriously picked a very family oriented neighborhood to live in, and this is the result. It can be a bit Stepford at times, but overall, they're nice people."

He nodded and they got out of the car. Catherine led him over to a stand where he could rent ice skates for the night, and he quickly procured a pair that fit him. Together, they went over to a bench, and he switched out his boots for the ice skates before stowing his shoes in the locker that Catherine had rented for their things. "Catherine! Who's this?"

Turning, Nick found himself face to face with a petite blonde woman who reminded him instantly of Morgan, and a relaxed smile spread across his face as continued to look at her. Catherine took a small step closer to him, and the blonde smirked a little at the move. "I've told you about my team back in Vegas, Ashely. This is Nicky."

"Nick Stokes, ma'am. Pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand, and she took hold of it, shaking firmly before slipping her fingers across his hand as she let go.

"Ah, a Texan, born and bred," Ashley replied as she met eyes with Catherine once more. "Is it true what they say about Texas?" she teased, and Nick chuckled as he shook his head at her ribald statement.

"What, that we all ride a horse to work and go back to our cattle ranch at the end of the night?" he replied, listening to Catherine giggle next to him. Ashley's smirk turned into a true, warm, smile as she nodded, gesturing for them to follow her onto the ice.

"She's a firecracker," Catherine said as they first made their way onto the ice, and Nick nodded as they began to glide around the rink. "But she's great at thinking on her toes, which is perfect for situations out in the field."

"And I imagine that she's like Greg, the comic relief of the group, which is also perfect for what you deal with." Catherine turned on her skates so that she could look at him, nodding as she effortlessly skated backwards. "You are going to fall."

"No, I'm not, Nicky. This is easy stuff. I know my limits, and won't be trying any jumps." She winked before turning around and holding out her hand. "I see the rest of my team over there. Come on, I'll introduce you."

He gave a careful nod, still not the steadiest on his skates as they maneuvered closer to a group of people on the other side of the rink. It appeared that Ashley had filled them in on who he was, though, since they were all giving him knowing looks as they approached. Catherine tightened her grip on his hand as they came to a stop near the group, her head scanning the group before she shook her head. "I told everyone who you were already, Nick. Hope you don't mind, Catherine."

"I'll remember this for later, Ashley."

The young woman blushed a little as she nodded, and he raised one eyebrow before looking at the rest of Catherine's team. Nick felt a strange sense of calmness fill his heart, as if he had made the right choice by coming here, even if it would only be for a short visit. Sometimes being in the presence of a good friend was all that was needed to get things back on the right track.


End file.
